Château de Montségur[kasmontsegur]

The Château de Montségur is probably the best known of all Cathar Castles. It is famous as the last Cathar stronghold, which fell after a 10 month siege in 1244.

A field below the hill-top castle is reputed to be the site where over 200 Cathars were burned alive, having refused to renounce their faith...

A building on this site sheltered a community of Cathar women at the end of the twelfth century.

Early in the thirteenth, Ramon de Pereille the co-seigneur and Chatelaine, was asked to make it defensible, anticipating the problems to come.

It is open to the public, as is a museum in the nearby modern village of Montségur. There is an entrance fee for both...

Specialities

The site is spectacular, and well worth a visit. There are guided tours from February to December.

By visiting the castle of Montsegur (over 100,000 visitors annually), you will receive all the pathos that emanates from the site when trying to imagine what could have been during the winter 1243-1244, the seat of the "citadel of dizzy." How, for 400 people dug, living conditions, already austere in normal times, were made even harder by the isolation resulting from the long siege of 10 months. You will have a thought for the 220 Cathars who, unwilling to renounce their faith, chose to die and mount them on the bonfire below the castle, a March 16, 1244. Rang and announced the end of Catharism....

Montsegur but it is also a historical and archaeological museum (33 900 visitors in 2002). You will discover, through thousands of exhibits, how the people lived in the castle and the castrum in the Middle Ages: tools, fittings, ornaments, weapons, dice...

Vin de Pays means 'country wine' to the French, but to outsiders it can mean New World with a French accent. These are the wines which the French authorities unreservedly allow to be labelled with the grape variety from which they were made. It is difficult to over-estimate the importance of this large and growing category of wines for the future of the French wine trade. The French themselves may have tended to see any Vin de Pays as distinctly inferior to any appellation contrôlée wine, whereas many of their customers abroad see the better Vins de Pays as good-value, user-friendly, sometimes high-quality non-conformist emissaries from the world's most revered wine producer....

The Grapes

There are thousands of grape varieties contributing to a vast array of different wine styles with each variety having its own distinct flavours and characteristics. Varieties can be made uniquely to make a wine, in whch case the wine is known as a varietal, or collectively with other varities, when the wine is known as a blend. The soils and ‘terroirs’ in the Aude area are very varied, from Schist, Sandstone, Marl, Gravel, Pebbles, Limestone, to Granit and Alluvial soil; thus making many marvelous and different styles of wine. Also in this massive area are many different grape varieties, the reds include Carignon, Cinsault, Granache Noir, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. The whites, Chardonnay, Granache blanc, Picpoul, Marsanne, Roussanne, Vermantino, Mauzac, Chenin and Clairette...

Welcome to the Pays de Sault.. South of the Languedoc-Roussillon, Aude Pyrenees, Pays de Sault and its people welcome you all year round on its mountain tops and deep valley Rébenty whose landscapes, culture, and the soil quality life make all the beauty and richness of these mountains Audoises. In summer, enjoy the freshness of the mountain in this green oasis, where you can enjoy our products, many activities and enjoy all the village fairs. The forests are adorned with flamboyant colors which echoes the call of the deer. Winter is white, calm and dominate winter sports that will give you other sensations. Spring, nature takes its course, meadows and forests are covered with thousands of flowers...

L'Auberge de Montségur

A charming old-style auberge with stone walls, wooden beams and open fireplaces in a building dating from the 15th century in the listed village of Montségur, next to the church. Montségur is famous for the role it played in the Crusades and Inquisition and is one of the Grand Sites of France. A 2 star hotel with 13 rooms, 4 of which with four-poster beds and Jacuzzi baths, restaurant (featured in the Michelin guide), cafe, bar, souvenirs and books, all in a medieval setting. In the Pyrenees between Toulouse and Andorra, close to the medieval towns of Carcassonne, Mirepoix and Foix, near the Cathar Castles, the Grands Sites of the Midi-Pyrenees, prehistoric caves, museums, parks and ski stations....

Campsite Les Sapins

At the foot of the Pyrenees, in the Pays de Sault, lies the Camping Les Sapins. The view from here across the valley to the villages of Camurac, Comus and Montaillou is magnificent. At the southern end of the valley, between the hills, the high peaks of the Pyrenees are visible. Some of these are covered with snow all year round. Nature here is spectacular and unspoiled, and – thanks to the many "sapins" (fir trees) – the air is exceptionally pure. Craggy limestone formations dominate the broad upland landscape with its many caves and ravines. They include the spectacular Gorges de la Frau, which lead to Montségur. A stone's throw away from Les Sapins, this was the last bastion of the mysterious Cathars whose fascinating history and culture dominate the region...

Le P.A.S. - Randonnees, Tourisme, Pays Cathare

Mountain guide. Mountain walks arranged by the day or as
part of an inclusive holiday, with or without pack-donkeys, in the upper valley
of the Aude. Come Hiking in Cathar country. Wine and hiking: discover the
vineyards and chaix, tasting and gastronomy, landscapes Razes, Corbières and
Minervois, history and stories ... Aude, Ariège, Andorra are our golf practice.
The flora of the Pyrenees, wildlife (deer, roe deer, chamois, marmots, birds of
prey) history, prehistory everything is accessible. But Cathar Trail Hike
version "fair" and not on the shepherds of the Middle Ages Family hiking,
mountain treks for seasoned rides for children and adolescents, persons with
disabilities, we welcome any kind of audience...

Hotel Bayle

More than just a hotel, this place is full of mountain character and welcomes you with the charm and heart of the Pays de Sault. Sandrine and Xavier offer you a friendly welcome. Discover the comfort and ambiance of their Hotel-Restaurant. In the foothills of the Pyrenees, the village of Belcaire is situated on the plateau de Sault at an altitude of thousand meters. The air is pure and invigorating and nature is properly preserved. You are here in the heart of the Pays Cathare, in a place very historic and symbolic of the region. The fortified-castles like Montségur, Puivert, Puilaurens, Montaillou,... witness the rich history as it happened....

Campsite Madres Pyrénées

Located at the entrance of the village of Roquefort in Sault (direct access from Axat), Camping "Madres Pyrenees", open during the summer, offers vacationers an enabling environment for rest and quiet. Located just outside the stream Clarianelle, with a petanque, a barbecue and of course all the comforts required health, it is the perfect setting for a holiday with family or friends....